Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-08-12

RUNNING 4 ME = MINUTE.
So tenib!c was the momentum Of
those fifteen coaches and two engines.
shooting through space at the rate of a
mile q ininute, can be understood. No
stop was made at Chattsworth. ana on
the heavy train, with it's living freight,
sped Though the darkness Of
Tie night. Three miles east Of
Chattsvorth Is n little slough. anl
where the railroad crosses a dry
lun abont ten feet deep and fifteen
feet wide. Over this was stretched an
ordinary wooden trcstle-bridgc, and as
the excursion train came thunder
ing down on II, what was the
horror of the engineer on the front
engine when be SAW that this
bridge Was burning? Right mp be-
fore his eyes leAped the bright flames,
md the next instant he was among
them. There was no chance to stop.
Bad there been n warning it would
have taken half a mile to stop, and the
train Was within on. hundred yards Of
the Tcd-tonGucd messengers of death
before they flashed their fatal signals
into the engineers face; but he
passed over in safety, the first engine
keeping the rails. rs IL went over the
bridge It fell beneath it, and it could
only have been tho terrific speed OF the
tram that saved the lives OF the eHgi-
ncer End his fireman.
TaE TLUECE TO DEATH.
Eut next the engine went down and
instantly the deed Of death was done.
Ger crashed into car, coaches piled Que
CA top of another, and IN the twiDkling
Of AZ eye nearly one hundred people
found instant death, and fifty more
were SO hunt they could not live. As
for the wounded, theywers everywhere.
Only the slccping-coaches escaped,
and SIS the startled and lalf-dresscd
passengers came tumblng ont of them
they found such scene Of death as is
rarely witnessed, and such work TO do
that Il seemed as il human hands were
utterly incapable. II lacked but five
minutes of midnight Down in the
ditch lay Eocond-EnPineer McClin-
took dead and Fireman Apologize
badly injured. On the top were piled
tlI,e baPiaee-cars, one on top Of
another, Ike chili'e carl-housc after
lie bad swept it with his hands. Then
cones SIX dsy-cosches They were
tslcscOpCd IS ears never were before,
and three 81 them were pressed into
Just space enough for one. The second
Ger had mounted off its trucks and
crashed through the car ahead Of it,
crushing the woodwork under il Ike
finder, and lay there resting on the
tops of seats, while every passenger II
the front car was laying dead and
OWING underneath. Out Of that car hut
fsur people came alive. On top Of the
second car Icy a third, and although
the latter dii not cover It's bearer rs
completely rs tine one beneath its bot
ION Was smearcd with the blood Of its
victims. The other three cara were not
80 badly crashed, but they were broken
and tWiatcd IN every conceivable way,
aud every crushed timber and beam re-
presented q crushed human frame and
broken bont2. Instantly the air WAS
hnod with the cries of the wounded
and the shricAs of those about to die.
ArPAILING CRIES OF SUFFERING.
The groans If men and screams of
women united to make an appalling
sound, and above all could be heard
.he aGcnizing cries Of little children as
in some instances they lay pinned be-
-ide their dead parents.
and there was another terrible dan
Ger vet TO le met. The bridge was
sill burning and the wrecked cars were
having on and around fercely burning
cmbers. Everywhere in the wreck
w.rc wounded and unhurt men, women,
and children, whose lives could be
saved If they conld he gotten ont. but
whose death. in most horrible form,
VAS certain II the twisted wood OF the
broken cars caught fire.
TIGB1rNG 4 FIERY FOE.
And to fight The fire there was not a
drop of water, and only some fifty
aLle-todicd men who s!lll had presence
of mind and nerve enough to do their
duty. The only light was the light OF
the bnrning bridge, and with so much
of its aid the fifty men went 10 work to
tieht the flames. For four hours they
fought Ike hcnds, and for fOur hours
victory hung in the balance. Earth
VAS tie only weapon with which the foe
could be- fought, and so the attempt
uss made 10 smother it out. There
vas 10 pick or shovel to dig IT mp 10
baskets or hlrrows to carry 1t. and 50
desperate were they that they dug their
fnccrs down into the earth, which the
icrr drought had baked almost rs hard
as stone. and heaped the precious hand
.uls thus hardly won upon the eacroach-
inp flames, and with this oarlh-work,
built handful by handful, kept back the
foe.
While this was going ON other brave
men crcpt underneath the wrecked
cors beneath the fire and wooden bar
which held as prisoners SO many pre-
cious lives, and with pieces of board
and sometimes their hands beat
lack the flames when they flashed
ND alongside some unfortunate
wretch. who, pinned down by
Ieayy beam, looked on helplessly while
II seemed as if bis death by fire was
c,rtoin. And while the fight was thus
cc,nc on the ears OF the workers were
filrd with the eroAns Of dying men,
tbe onoujshed entreaties OF those whose
death seemed certain unless the terri
lila blaze could be extinguished, aud
tbe cries of those too badly hurt to care
in what manner the end were brought
about so it only would be quick. 80
they dug up the earth with their
Lands. reckless OF the blood streaming
ont from broken finger-nails, and heap
mo # up in little mounds, while oil the
time came the heartronding cry, For
Gods sake don't let MS burn to death
But finally the victory was won; the
Gre was out, after four hours Of endea-
vor ard as its last sparks died away
li@bt came up in the east to take their
misce. and dawn came upon the scene
OF the horror.
- While the fight bad been going on
,oen Ind been dying, and there were
not so many wounded to take out OF
, ,IV' wreck rs there had been four hours
h a Bat in the mean time the
norv had been aroused. Help had
come IRON Chattswoth, Forest, and
T;ner City, and as the dead were laid
reYrrently alongside Of each other out
~. cornfeld there were ready hands